Flexible pouches are currently known and used in the art and include a fitment. The fitment includes a passageway for accessing the contents of the pouch. Some fitments also include a tap. Some taps include a lever and a valve operable to open and close access to the fitment. Other taps are configured for a push-pull arrangement wherein the tap is pulled away from the fitment to open access to the pouch or pushed against the fitment to close the access. Such pouches are often manufactured in one location and transported to another location for filling purposes.
It is common for the fitment to be formed onto the pouches, and the taps delivered to the filling warehouse separately from the pouch. In such arrangements the fitment is closed with a cover to prevent the interior of the pouch from being contaminated during transportation and filling operations. It is known to use a seal such as a polymeric wrap to cover the fitment opening to maintain the integrity of the interior of the pouch prior to filling operations.
The problem with such an arrangement is the increased transportation and the manufacturing costs associated with the pouches being shipped separately from the pouches, and the additional tooling required for removing the seal and mounting the taps. Further, some taps may be lost and thus new taps ordered to accommodate the fitments. Accordingly it remains desirable to have a method and machine for filling a flexible pouch with a fitment that reduces transportation and manufacturing costs by providing a seal to prevent the interior of the pouch from being contaminated and yet transporting the fitment and the tap as one unit.